Needing Help

[Kel-Bone]

Hi All,
I am new to the forum and have a question.. I own a 1996 Ford Windstar Minivan.. For the past couple of months we have noticed this "Rubbing-Grinding" sound out of the back end of the van only when brakes are applied... The sound was not very noticeable at first now it is every time you hit the brake. We have had to change the entire braking system on the front twice..But this sound is a different kind of noice.. Any ideas before I take it to the shop? Thanks Kel-Bone.

[jkeaton224]

Jack it up, pull off a rear wheel and drum and check your brake pads.

[wiswind]

If you have rear drum brakes, the rear wheel bearings are supposed to be re-packed every 30K miles....they can develop some play in them...which can cause the drum to shift slightly.....which may cause the brake shoe lining to rub on the narrow band of rust that develops at the inner edge of the drum surface.
This is the ridge of rust that you may have seen mention of regarding removing the drum......as the shoe often catches on this ridge....and you then need to manualy adjust the brake shoes inward (loostening them) in order to clear that ridge and enable the drum to be removed.